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The Great Forest
The Great Forest is located on the eastern hemisphere of D'nalsi. Thick vegetation and dense trees overrun the region, despite the significant number of inhabitants. The region has experienced very little development over the years beyond construction of homes and is regarded as the less civilized counterpart to the adjacent Eldritch. History Although the exact dates are unknown, people have inhabited The Great Forest since long before recorded history. Before the underground cave and water systems were discovered, the majority of the inhabitants dwelled on the jungle floor. Over time, however, occupants naturally began to construct homes closer to their work -- be that in the trees for fruit gatherers, on the ground for farmers, or underground for miners. Over time this gravitation became so engrained in the society that a form of social stratification was created. This stratification was exaggerated when the Water Schedule was implemented. Water Schedule As the population of The Great Forest grew, obtaining water from the River (the only trusted freshwater source) became extremely difficult. The banks became overcrowded, and extreme use was causing the banks to become weak. Because of this, a Water Schedule was implemented. The Water Schedule divides the day into thirds (morning, afternoon, and evening) and delegates one class to each of these time slots. During each scheduled time, that particular class is granted access to the River. An unanticipated consequence of the Water Schedule was further division among the classes. Whereas previously members of different classes would interact at the River, after the schedule's implementation classes found themselves mixing less and less. Additionally, the Ground People (who were given the least desirable night time slot) felt cheated by the system. Because of this, since it's beginnings the differences between the classes has been exaggerated and tensions have increased. Caste System Like the nearby Eldritch, a sort of social stratification has emerged within the Great Forest society. Although social mobility is not impossible and a caste system is not in place, tradition and societal expectations have made any movement extremely difficult. The system is divided into three classes based upon occupation, water schedule, and home location. The classes as Tree People, Hut People, and Ground People. In general, custom dictates that the closer one lives to the sun, the higher one's status; because of this, a type of hierarchy has emerged. Tree People : Tree People are the most elite class of the system -- they have access to the River in the afternoon. As the name would suggest, Tree People live in tree houses among the tree limbs. Typically their homes are made from assorted woods with sloped roofs for rain. Homes are connected by an intricate system of ropes and vines that form paths in the canopy. : Tree Person Society, unlike that of the Ground or Hut Peoples', is revolved mainly around gossip. While the Tree People are cloth makers and foragers, they gather in great numbers to speak amongst themselves. Even though they contribute to a lot of the profit made in the Great Forest (though most of that profit is actually bartering and trading), they provide the supervision that keeps everyone at peace amongst themselves. In the Great Forest, there is always someone watching. Hut People : Hut People are the middle class of Great Forrested society -- they have access to the River in the mornings. They dwell on the forest floor, typically in straw and mud or clay huts. People of this class tend to be farmers or gardeners. The ground level also tends to hold most trade centers. : Which makes the Hut People mainly responsible for agriculture. They are very family oriented, and tend to be more genuinely happy than both the Tree and Ground people. They neither look down their noses, nor curse the heavens. The great deal of commerce they control contributes largely to the success of Great Forest society as a whole. : Ground People : Ground People are of the lowest class in the society -- they have access to the River at night. Spending most of their lives almost entirely underground, these people live their lives within the intricate cave and underground river system that weaves under the forest. Homes tend to be carved into cavern walls, and dwellers here are typically miners. These people experience a unique interaction between the Merpeople because of their access to water. : They are responsible for mining the many minerals that cities like Clockwork Town find valuable, and make a profit from this. They also keep the earth beneath the forest floor stable, preventing its network of massive trees and huts from bursing through the dirt. They are the foundation of the Great Forest. Economy The economy of The Great Forested society is almost entirely based upon the barter system. As each class produces a different essential good (minerals, food, cloth, etc.), some sort of an exchange between them is imperative for survival. While most trade tends to occur at a sort of market place on the ground level, smaller personal exchanges are also known to take place. In most cases, exploitation is avoided even when an inhabitant has a monopoly on a certain good because of the inability to survive without goods from others. Outside The Great Forest To the people of the Great Forest, little is known of the outside world. the vast majority of its population is unaware of the fact that there is a larger world out there. They are absorbed in the dramas of the Great Forest, with little thought of where their neighbors (Eldritch) come by their strange contraptions and ideas. Communication between the two sides of D'nalsi is limited to the Merpeople, and the occasional passing. The river that divides the two sides of the island is what forces even the most infinitesimal of meetings to occur. However, in the Great Forest, survival is all that is taught, and all that is needed.